“I am the good shepherd. A good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” Jn. 10:11.

In this fourth Sunday of Easter the Church presents to us Jesus as the good Shepherd in the Gospel of John.

There are two attitudes towards Jesus. The first attitude is that of Jesus, the good shepherd, who is alive and risen. It is about those that listen and recognize the voice of the Lord in their lives and let Him be guided and protected from evil. They work for His kingdom. On the other hand those that reject Him fall into the hands of pastors without scruples, who keep them in a world of the unconscious where they do not think nor listen.

There is a phrase in the Gospel that I would like to reflect on with you: “my sheep know me”. Jn. 10:14.

To know Christ the Good Shepherd is put yourself into a listening attitude. But to have this attitude of attention it is necessary to rid ourselves of the many prejudices and false images that produce a disorderly life where the voices of the world deform and prevent recognizing the voice of Christ to make changes in our lives. If I do not feel hurt He cannot heal me of sin.

When we walk with Christ the Good Shepherd and we listen to Him through prayer we will discover the gifts that He has poured into each one of us for our journey as missionaries of the New Evangelization and in our vocation.

Here I leave you with a few words from Pope Francis about the Good Shepherd who walks with us teaching us how to evangelize. We only need to listen to Him: “…….evangelizing consists of the preaching of the mystery of evil and of the active search of good. A preaching that is becoming increasingly urgent is the search for the same God through prayer and above all through adoration and thanksgiving…..Also through the sacraments in particular the Eucharist”.

Do you hear the call of the Good Shepherd? Do you recognize your talents and gifts? Do you put them at the service of your parish community?